


Somebody to Love

by TDrake



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, High School, Homelessness, Romance, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-07-16 07:20:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7257940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TDrake/pseuds/TDrake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette is an orphan living alone in the forests of Paris. She's ok with this, come to accept it as her reality, really. But this all changes one rainy afternoon when she meets a certain green eyed boy. After that everything is different. </p><p>A different take on Miraculous Ladybug.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Paris looked quite different from the slums. 

All the lights, atmosphere, and romance that clings to the city like a perfume somehow manages to scoot around the village of shanty towns that litter the outskirts of Paris. Deep down Marinette isn't surprised; she wouldn't want to be here either if she didn't have to be. 

Marinette was probably the unluckiest girl in all of France. Her parents had died in a car accident when she was ten, and with no immediate relatives to speak of she was placed into an orphanage. Sometimes, in the middle of some of her worst nightmares, she could still hear the other children taunting her, pranking her, hitting her. The elderly couple that ran the place was kind enough, but they were powerless to prevent her decline to the bottom of the food chain. Everything they did to try and help her had only made it worse. 

So Marinette fled, late at night when she was sure no one would catch her, and she hadn't looked back. 

Life on her own wasn't much better than her life at the orphanage, but at least it was quiet. She had her own tent on the edge of the village where nobody bothered her. She was free to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Granted there were some problems, especially when it came to getting food, but there were several friendly restaurant owners who made sure to save some leftovers for her. Her favorite part, however, was the old tailor who was teaching her how to sow. The prospect of creating something out of nothing, something that people actually wanted, really appealed to her. She had spent so many late nights the past week finishing up her first creation--a sky blue scarf. She still had the prick marks on her fingers, but it had been worth it. 

A crackling of thunder brought the girl out of her thoughts and she pulled the pink poncho tight against her. She had been walking the streets of Paris now for about an hour, not really paying attention to where she was going. She often wandered the city by herself, letting her feet lead the way, but she usually didn't end up here….

It was an old cemetery, small but private. She could see from her position on the periphery of the grounds that there was a large gathering of people in the center of the park, all dressed in black. Standing at the front of the group, closest to the headstone was a man and his son. It seemed like the funeral was for someone close to the boy, as she could see him trying desperately to keep his grief to himself. Then she saw the older man lean down and whisper something to the boy that made him stand a little straighter, but did little to stop his shoulders from trembling. 

A few seconds later the group was gone, or at least most of them. The boy must not have noticed everyone leaving the site and heading to the black limousines at the front gate. He only seemed to have snapped out of his trance at the sound of tires on pavement as the cars started moving away. Marinette could hear him shouting, desperately, for anyone to notice that they were about to leave without him, but it was no good. 

He was all alone. 

Marinette did not know what made her start walking towards the boy. Maybe she felt sorry for him. Maybe she remembered a time when she was standing at her parents graves, feeling as lost as he looked now. Whatever it was, she decided to push the feeling to the back of her mind as she finally entered within earshot. 

"Are you ok?" she asked. It was a dumb question, she knew, but she made sure to keep her voice as friendly as possible. 

The boy jumped as he turned to face her, panic slowly draining from his face as he watched her approach. She realized that in her faded pink poncho, she must have been quite an interesting sight.

Marinette watched as the boy took off his sunglasses in order to look at her properly. What stared at her were perhaps the prettiest green eyes she had ever seen. The shadow of his blonde bangs made the green darker, almost a forest green, but she could tell that they were usually much lighter. She could also tell that he had been crying, or at least trying desperately not to. There was a slight redness around his eyes that the glasses had covered up. One single tear seemed to have escaped and was slowly making its way down his cheek when she arrived next to him. 

"….They left without me." The boy said, looking dejected.

"How far away is your house?" she asked, still looking at his eyes. It was like they were hypnotic. 

He broke eye contact with her, choosing instead to look at the ground as he mumbled. "Pretty far."

Marinette was about to say something when a few tiny droplets of water landed on her face. It seems her luck was getting worse. 

"Drat!" she cursed, glancing at the strange boy in the suite. Making some sort of decision, she quickly pulled the poncho off and tossed it to him. 

"I don't live that far from here. If we hurry, we can make it before we get drenched." 

The boy looked from the poncho to her, and Marinette was suddenly aware of how bad she must look to him. Her faded jeans still had a couple of tares across the ends and her light pink shirt looked like it had once been white, but had been washed with the wrong colors. It was quite a contrast to the sharp suite he was wearing, and the girl had to fight to keep her eyes locked with his. 

What was she thinking?! Why had she even bothered to approach him in the first place? If she had just kept walking, then this would never have happened. She wouldn't be making a fool of herself in front of a boy who was probably thinking of the best way to tell her to go away. He had to…they were just too different. 

"You don't have to….." she mumbled, finally looking away from those eyes when she felt she could take his gaze no longer. Why didn't he just say no and be done with it? 

"n-no!" the boy said, eyes widening as he seemed to have snapped out of some thought. "I don’t….I don't want to be alone."

Marinette's heart gave a tug, and in that moment she knew exactly why she had approached him.

He was just like her. 

How could she have not noticed it before? Those sad eyes, struggling to keep all the turmoil inside from spilling out into the open for everyone to see. The desire to curl up into a ball by yourself and weep, but at the same time desperate for somebody to stay. She had gone through it all when her parents died, and there was no one for her to talk to. She could even see the fear of rejection on his face as he stared back at her, waiting for an answer. 

"Come on then…" she said lightly, helping the boy into her poncho before taking his hand and leading him out of the cemetery. "It'll be ok."

They said nothing as she led him through the back ally streets of Paris towards her tent. Marinette was too busy thinking of what exactly she was going to do once they got there. It wasn't like she had any way of entertaining the boy, not in the ways he was probably used to. As for conversation, the extent of her knowledge stopped with designing. Well, she could always talk about living on the streets. 

'Yeah' she thought sarcastically to herself, 'that will go over real well. Say? Why is it so hard to find a place to bathe in this city? What's up with that?!'

She scoffed under her breath. 

Marinette was so absorbed with her thoughts that she had failed to notice the rather large hole in the earth she was walking straight towards, or the rock, placed at seemingly the perfect place for the unsuspecting. With a very ungraceful movement, and a very un-lady like cry of surprise, the black haired girl tripped on the rock and fell face first into the hole, a rather large amount of mud splashed around her.

Marinette thought she would die, right there, with embarrassment. How could she have made an even bigger fool of herself in front of the blond haired boy? She was a mess, dripping wet with dirt and rainwater when she picked herself up out of the hole. Thank God she had managed to let go of the boy's hand when she started to fall. 

Marinette looked over herself, surveying the damage when she heard a small chuckle. Looking over, her eyes narrowed as the boy's green eyes sparkled with barely held in laughter. 

"I'm….sorry!" the boy tried to say with a straight face, a little embarrassed at having been caught. 

Marinette didn't move. A little bit of mud slid off the top of her head and landed with a splat on her shirt. The action only made it harder for the boy to hold in his laughter. A few seconds later, it came bursting out and he had to hold his sides from the intensity. 

She didn't think, didn't register the consequences of her action, but instead leaned down and picked up a handful of mud. 

One well placed throw was all it took, and with a satisfying thud the mud splattered against the poncho, a few pieces flying upward and hitting his face. 

Something flashed in his eyes as a grin slowly replaced the smile on his face. The boy chuckled a little as he moved closer to where she was, eyes moving from the hole back to her.

"No!" she said, stifling giggles of her own before understanding hit her. A split second later he reached down to pick up more mud. She had just enough time to back out of the hole before he struck. 

"Fine…." She said, a smile playing on her face after more mud hit her stomach, "If that's the way you want to play it…."

\----

When they finally reached her tent the mood was considerably lighter. 

"I can't believe you pushed me into that hole!" the boy laughed, gesturing to his now soaked attire. The poncho had taken most of the damage, but as he pulled it off and gave it back to her, she could see that parts of his pants and white dress shirt had mud stains. 

"Someone had to wipe that smirk off your face." Marinette said with a smile of her own and pulled open the tent flap to let the boy in, zipping the flap shut when they were safely inside. 

Marinette watched as he took in the small but spacious surroundings. There wasn't much here, a pile of clothes in one corner and her sleeping bag in another. Next to her clothes was a bag bearing the logo of a local Italian restaurant. Inside was an assortment of bread and some tins of pasta she had been given last night. Marinette walked over to the old camping light she had once found abandoned by the side of the road and turned it on. A soft buzzing could be heard as the device filled the tent with a dim white light. 

"You live here? Alone?" the boy asked, his tone inquisitive and friendly but Marinette knew that it must seem ridiculous to him. He had probably never spent even a full day inside a tent, let alone live in one. 

"Yeah…." She said, desperate not to show her sudden flash of insecurity. 

"But what about your….parents?" 

And just like that, the cheery atmosphere evaporated. His green eyes were sad again. 

"They…uh….died." Marinette answered, her own voice a little downtrodden. She never spoke about her parents to anyone. She had even refused to talk about it at the orphanage. The other kids had found out from the adults that talked about it when they thought she couldn't hear.

Both took a seat on the floor, but gazed off in different directions, each in their own thoughts. It was Marinette who managed to recognize the awkward silence first. 

"Do you wanna play a game?" she asked, moving a pile of stuff aside and pulling out the card game she was looking for. "It's a little old…." The red packaging on the Uno card deck was now faded, and she was sure that the cards would be too, but the deck had belonged to her parents and all the fun they had playing it together always brought a smile on her face. 

Adrian's face brightened considerably when he saw it. "I love that game!"

"Well then," she replied, handing him the deck gingerly "shuffle the cards!"  
\---  
It took a few games before she was able to coax him enough to have a conversation again. 

"Sorry about your suite…" Marinette said, placing her card atop the pile. 

"It's ok." The boy replied in response, looking over his cards. "These clothes don't really…suit me." He kept his face down, but she saw his eyes look up to catch hers. There was a small grin on his face. 

She just rolled her eyes and smiled. "Was that a pun?"

"…maybe."

"It was pretty bad."

"You mean they're not really my strong suit?"

"Ugh!" Marinette cried, shaking her head. 

"Not a big fan of puns?" the boy asked, and she could see that this seemed to really disappoint him, though he tried to keep that from her. His eyes were too expressive though, and she read it easily.

"It's not that." She said. "Sometimes they can be a very rewording experience."

"Ha!" he laughed, and Marinette was glad to see his eyes brighten up again as he played his card. 

They were silent for a few more seconds, each enjoying the comfortable atmosphere. 

"My…mom…liked puns." 

Marinette looked up from her cards and saw his downcast eyes staring at the floor. 

"What was she like?" the girl asked, knowing that it was good to keep him talking. 

"She was….the best." He sighed, eyes closed for a few seconds before choosing his next card from the deck. Marinette said nothing, allowing him to say whatever he wanted. 

"She…worked for this international charity, traveling all over the world to help deliver food to people. Sometimes we would go to work at a homeless shelter. Afterwards, when we were doing to dishes, she would always…….always try and s-splash me with w-w-water." 

Marinette leaned forward and placed a hand reassuringly on his knee as the tears started streaming down his face. Small sobs shook the boy, though he tried desperately to hide it. 

"I'm s-sorry." He mumbled, hands desperately trying to wipe away the tears before they could fall. 

"It's ok." She told him, scooting forward. Her knees knocked the card pile over but neither paid any attention. 

Gingerly, she took his hands in her own and pulled them away. With nothing to block their flow, the tears streamed down his face faster than before. 

"Let it out." She whispered, holding his hands gently. 

The boy leaned forward slowly, pressing his forehead lightly against her shoulder as he submitted to the sorrow that had been plaguing him all day.

"I know what you're going through." She told him gently a few seconds later. "When my parents died….it was like there was this big hole in my heart. Everything I did reminded me of stuff we used to do together. It hurt, a lot, and I kept pushing my feelings back until I could be by myself. No one saw my cry, but it also served to remind me how alone I really was."

"W-what was your m-m-mom like?"

Marinette sighed, taking a few seconds before she answered. "She was always smiling, always working. She loved to make clothes for me and my dad. Mostly though she just helped out around the bakery.”

It was hard to talk about her parents. Marinette knew, however, talking about them would help this boy feel better, something she didn't realize that she really wanted until now. 

"My f-father designs c-c-clothes." 

"He seems…..nice?" 

The boy scoffed, but it seemed like the talking was working. After five more minutes, his shoulders no longer shook as hard with the weight of his sobs as they once had, and his voice grew more even. He still had a few hiccups that came and went as he slowly regained his breathing, but it wasn't like it bothered her. 

"my father has only said three words to me since my mother died. Be a man."

It took Marinette a few seconds to absorb that piece of information. Who could be that cruel? Who could abandon their son when he was needed most? 

"I'm so sorry." She whispered, thumbs circling the skin on his hands lightly. 

Once again a comfortable silence passed between them. The boy kept his head pressed against her shoulder, though she could tell he was no longer crying. Marinette didn't mind though, because she felt a rush of protectiveness towards this boy. The thought had originally seemed preposterous to her--they hadn't even known each other for a full day. Yet he knew more about her in that half a day than anyone else alive. 

"I can't believe I cried…" he mumbled a few minutes later.

Marinette smiled. "It was very cute."

The boy laughed, his breath warming her. 

"No it's not." He said, gently pulling his head back to look her in the eyes. "It's tearable…."

"….I think I hate you."  
\---

Marinette hadn't had this much fun in a long time. They must have been on their fifteenth game of Uno, but neither of them wanted to stop. They just sat across from each other, talking about their lives, their families. Conversation seemed to flow naturally, so much so that the fact that the rain had stopped hours ago seemed to pass by unnoticed. It was only when it was starting to get really late did she realize that she still needed to take him home. 

"We should get going." She said, when their current game finally ended. He had won again, but in the overall count she was way ahead. 

Disappointment flashed across his eyes and he lowered his head a little. Deep down, Marinette beamed at the realization that he had a really good time here, with her. 

"Do we have to?" he mumbled, looking up at her with his best impression of sad, puppy dog eyes. 

Marinette rolled her eyes, but her heart tugged at the look on his face. She had to ignore her desire to let him stay. Despite what he said about his father, she was sure the man would notice his son's absence at some point. 

"Yes." She insisted, much to their mutual disappointment. "I have to get you home before all the night creatures show up! They are not very friendly!"

The boy rolled his eyes, smiling but feigning fright. "That doesn't sound too bad to me."

"And they don't like puns!"

He gasped dramatically before getting to his feet. 

"Well then. It's a good thing I have you protecting me." He said, taking her hand in his. 

Marinette could feel her heart beating slightly faster in her chest, though she chose to ignore it. Instead she zipped open the flap and told him to go outside first, and that she would be out in a second. Confused, but agreeing nonetheless, the boy let go of her hand and stepped outside the tent. A split second later, Marinette too was outside, stuffing the item she had grabbed quickly into her pocket so that he wouldn't notice. As they set off for his house, he took her hand again. 

"In case the monsters show up."

All in all it had taken them about half and hour to arrive on the street where the boy lived. Marinette had never seen houses so big before in her life. 

"You live here?" she asked, the pair walking along the nicely paved road.

"Yeah." He answered as if it was no big deal. Marinette was so distracted gazing from one house to the next that she didn't realize he had slowed down a little. When she had gotten a little too far ahead, she felt him slightly tug at her arm, hands still linked together. 

Marinette said nothing, but smiled as she turned to look at him. 

"You really don't want to go home do you?"

The boy shook his head, though he didn't meet her gaze. 

"It hasn't been a home since she died."

Marinette didn't know what to say to that, no piece of advise that would make him feel better. The only thing she had managed to do was run away, shutting out as many people as she could. But that was no way to live-- she had recognized that today. She had forgotten what it was like to talk to someone, to play games with them and laugh. She had forgotten what it was like to have a friend. 

"Are we friends?" she asked suddenly, partly to bring him out of his stupor. She found herself a lot more afraid of the answer than she had originally thought. 

The boy looked up at her in surprise, his eyes widening slightly as some unknown emotion passed through them. Marinette looked at him with apprehension. 

"I…I hope so." He said, his cheeks turning a slight shade of red. "I haven't had a friend before. My father insists that I be home schooled."

Marinette could remember having friends, but that was before the accident and she hadn't seen them since. 

"Me too." She said, giving his hand a slight squeeze as her heart soared. "Not a lot of people around where I live."

At her confirmation, the boy smiled so brightly at her that Marinette was thrown slightly off guard. They walked a few more slow steps in silence.

"I'm Adrien by the way." He told her, still smiling. "Adrien Agreste."

Marinette hadn't even realized until this very moment that she didn't know his name. They had never introduced themselves, never bothered with names. It was so strange, yet it hadn't mattered at all. 

"I'm Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

At last the boy came to a stop across from a particularly large looking house. To Marinette, it seemed like a palace. If she packed up everything she owned, she would be able camp out in the courtyard alone and still have a spacious back yard. 

"Wow!" she said, trying to catch every glimpse of the place that she could. The tanned stones seemed to gleam in the moonlight. For his part, Adrien seemed completely nonchalant.

"Do you want to come in?" he asked, his voice suddenly excited. "I can't believe I didn't think of this before! We have guest bedrooms and everything! You could totally spend the night!"

Marinette knew immediately that what he said would be impossible. There was no way she could stay here, in this giant house. She quickly looked down at her messy, dirt splattered clothing and winced. She didn't belong here.

"I don't think that would be a good idea…" she said, forcing herself to smile even though she really didn't feel like it. 

Green eyes looked back at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

Marinette didn't want to tell him that the scene would be utterly ridiculous. She pictured the man who had been talking to his son early today at the cemetery: tall, well dressed, and well mannered. There was no way someone like that would allow someone like her into his house. But she didn't want to make the boy feel guilty or end up hurting his feelings. 

"I'm…I'm sure your Dad's going to want to see you, talk to you! I don't want to intrude." She said sheepishly, struggling to keep eye contact despite the overwhelming urge to look away in shame. 

Adrien said nothing, but the way his eyes narrowed just the slightest bit in concern made her worried. Could he read her eyes just as easily as she could read his? No, he couldn't. She had spent so much time hiding her true feelings behind a mask, there was no way he could see through it. 

Thankfully he decided not the push the subject, but when he gave her hand a slight squeeze, Marinette knew he could tell something was up. 

"I…uh…I wanted to give you something." She said, desperate to try and change the subject again. She couldn't take the searching look in his eyes anymore. Reluctantly, he freed her hand and she pulled out the sky blue scarf she had made sure to grab back at the tent. "I made this myself."

Gingerly, Adrien reached out his hand and took the offered item. 

"This is so cool!" he smiled up at her, eyes gleaming. Marinette found herself blushing slightly again.

"It's not perfect…but it's my first one." She flipped over one of the ends and showed him the little signature she had placed marking it as her own work. 

"I love it!" he insisted, still beaming at her. "Thanks!"

Marinette was struggling for words, her heart beatt faster as the two just stood staring at each other. Suddenly, a woman's voice called out from the speaker attached to the gate. 

"Adrien? Is that you?"

The boy looked suddenly crestfallen as he walked across the street to the machine and pushed a button. 

"Yes Nathalie." He said, voice devoid of emotion. 

A second later, Marinette heard a loud buzzing and the sound of the gates being slowly opened. 

"Please come inside. Your father would like a word with you."

Marinette’s eyes narrowed as she felt herself growing angry. That was it?! Adrien had been gone for hours—practically half a day—and this woman was acting as if he were just out for a stroll. Could what the boy had told her really be true? Did he not care at all? 

She watched as Adrien let out a sigh, running his fingers through his hair, before he turned to look at her. 

"Can we meet up again tomorrow?" he asked, hope filling his voice as he was forced to move past the gate. 

Marinette nodded, excited at the prospect. "Tomorrow afternoon? In the park?"

"I think I can swing that!" he said with a grin, laughing excitedly when she rolled her eyes. "Tomorrow at noon! Don't forget!" 

"And don't be late!" she called, unable to stop herself "I won't let it slide if you are!"

She could hear him laughing all the way up the stone steps. As he opened the door, he turned around and gave her one last wide smile and a wave before disappearing completely inside the giant palace. 

A few seconds later, the gates were shut and she was alone once more. 

\----

Marinette honestly didn't know what she had been expecting to happen. 

She had arrived early to the park the next day, taking a seat on the swings and waiting for any sign of her blonde haired friend. 

When the first hour passed, she didn't pay it any mind. 

When the second hour passed, she grew a little concerned. 

Maybe he was running late? 

When the third hour passed, she became concerned. Hopefully everything was all right. She did say noon right? 

Maybe he just forgot the time? 

When the fourth hour passed, she had fallen asleep on the swing, head leaning gently on the chain as she waited. 

Marinette didn't know what time it was when she awoke later that day, but as the sun was finally beginning to set, she allowed for the possibility that he wasn't coming. 

'Of course he isn't coming!' she thought. 'What a sucker you are Marinette. Believing someone who lives the way he does would ever want to be your friend!'

Resigned, but desperate to believe that she hadn't been tricked, she told herself she would give him one more hour. 

Then another hour…….

Surely just one more hour…..

He wouldn't ditch her on purpose…would he?

By the time Marinette got off of the slide, the sky had darkened considerably and she found herself alone. It was then that she gave up any hope that Adrien was coming.

'I can't believe I fell for that!' She told herself, getting up off the swing. 'I'm such an idiot.'

Slowly, Marinette walked out of the park and back towards the safety of her home, hot tears streaming down her face the whole way there.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
3 years later

"Marinette?......Marinette! You're going to be late!" a childish voice chided, the sound growing closer as it's owner ascended the stairs to the semi spacious attic that served as a room for the house's oldest orphan. 

Marinette had but a split second to groan before the little door on her floor shot open and two massive brown pigtails popped through her floor. 

"Marinette! It's 8 o'clock! You're going to be late for the fashion show!"

All drowsiness was suddenly evaporated as Marinette's blue eyes shot open in horror. 

"Crap!" the older girl yelled, practically falling out of bed. How could she have slept in today?! 

With a quick dismissive glance at her alarm clock, Marinette moved as fast as her legs would allow, zooming through her room in an attempt to get ready in record time. 

"Thanks Manon!" she managed to say in between changing her clothes. "Can you put something in a bag for me to eat on the way?"

"Sure!" the girl chirped, her head disappearing back down the stairs as Marinette fiddled with the laces of her shoes. 

"That was close!" a small, bell like voice called from under the teen's bed. A second later Tikki, the red and black kwami, appeared stretching her small arms and yawning. "I almost didn't make it under the bed in time."

"I can't believe we slept in!" Marinette replied, shoving everything she thought she would need into her purse. Tikki helped where she could, pointing out things that her charged missed. "Ms. Emma is going to kill me!"

"You still have time!" the kwami said, ever the optimist. "You've been working really hard all summer! I'm sure she won't care if you're a few minutes late."

"This is the most important fashion show of the summer!" Marinette replied, opening her purse for the creature. A second later, she was down the stairs and making a beeline for the door. 

"Don't forget your breakfast dear!" an elderly voice called as Marinette sped past the kitchen. Immediately the girl came to a stop. 

"Thanks Mamma Rose!" she called, taking the brown paper bag out of the old woman's hands and kissing her on the cheek gently before setting off again. 

So much had happened in the last three years of her life that Marinette could hardly believe it. 

The biggest change by far was the foster home. She had been forced to move into one when the police finally caught on that a twelve-year-old girl was living by herself in the forest. She had insisted she was fine. She didn't bother anyone, she had told the officer who had come to her tent one afternoon, and was perfectly content to spend the rest of her life avoiding the company of others if she could help it. The officer, however, was not convinced and if Marinette was being honest with herself, neither was she. As much as the aftermath had broken her heart, spending time with Adrien had showed her how lonely she really was, and the orphanage she had been placed at had been better than she could have ever imagined. 

The building was kinda old and creaked in a way that could make one very paranoid at night, but it was the closest thing Marinette had to a home in a very long time. She was one of 4 other orphan children living there, and the kindly old woman who ran the place had been so understanding when the young girl had first arrived. She didn't push Marinette into spending time with the other children, all younger than she was, and had allowed her to camp out in the backyard for the first few nights. It was Mamma Rose who pushed Marinette to continue with her designing and had even bought her a sewing machine of her very own. This summer, when Marinette had been hired as a student intern with a local designer, the old woman couldn't have been more proud. 

"And now I'm going to repay it by being late on the most important day of the year!" Marinette said dejectedly, glancing down at her watch. 

"There's always the scenic route!" Tikki's voice called out, muffled slightly. 

Marinette paused; all thought came to a crashing halt as the option presented itself. How had she not thought of it before?! 

Looking around to make sure she was alone, Marinette opened her purse slightly and locked eyes with the small being who was grinning up at her. 

"Do I have to say it?" she asked, sighing when the kwami nodded her head with a huge grin on her face. 

"It's required!" Tikki replied, her voice excited. Marinette couldn't help but meet the smile meant for her with one in return. 

"Fine…." Marinette grumbled, though the smile was still on her face as she opened her mouth to speak again. 

"Tikki….spots on."

"…."

"What was that?" the kwami giggled, leaning her head forward a little and cupping one of her small hands next to her head. Despite the fact the creature didn't have ears, it was incredibly convincing. "I couldn't hear you!"

Marinette sighed a little louder, trying her best to suppress a giggle of her own as she narrowed her eyes slightly. 

"Tikki… spots on!" she said, more energetically. With a small, adorable little cheer, the kwami flew out of her purse and into Marinette's earring. 

In an instant the teen had transformed, adorning the red jumpsuit with black spots that had made this summer one of the best Marinette had ever experienced. Now, whenever she wanted, she could shed her life as Marinette the orphan girl and become someone new--someone better. 

With a cry of excitement, she flung her yo-yo as hard as she could to the nearest building and within seconds was soaring through the air. 

"Good call Tikki!" she said, knowing that the kwami could hear her. "This was definitely the best way!"

\---

"I'm here!" Marinette called out, busting into the room backstage that was reserved for Emma Clarke. The designer, who had been moving from one model to the other in a kind of frenzied panic, stopped what she was doing and glanced down at her watch. 

"Cutting it close kid." 

Marinette grinned. "You always say one should make their entrance….fashionable." 

Some of the models looked at Marinette in horror, surprised that anyone would talk to a designer that way. These models had clearly never worked for Ms. Emma before. 

"Yes....Yes I do…" the woman said, giving Marinette a grin of her own before throwing a clipboard to her intern. 

"The show starts in an hour and everyone is a mess. See what you can do."

\---  
To say that Adrien Agreste was tired was an understatement. After spending the entire day being shepherded from one changing room to the next before being led to the back of the stage to wait his turn in line. His father had decided on today to release his new line, which meant that the boy had to model as many outfits as they could get him into. A small part of Adrien thought that maybe his father had scheduled this launch today of all days as a kind of cruel joke, but deep down the blonde teen knew the truth--his father had completely forgotten that today was his birthday. 

Well, Adrien couldn't say that his father had forgotten about his birthday-as Nathalie had told him earlier this morning that he was allowed to pick anything he wanted for his birthday- rather Gabrielle Agreste simply didn't care. 

He hadn't really cared when Adrien turned up hours after the funeral 3 years ago covered in mud. He hadn't really cared when Adrien had asked and then begged to go to the park the following day. He hadn't really cared when Adrien lost the one friend he had ever really had. 

Instead, Gabrielle Agreste had pushed his son into modeling with such a renewed vigor that it seemed like the man was trying his hardest to turn Adrien into the world's best mannequin. Their relationship, which had never been very good to begin with, dissolved into a handful of weekly conversations whose length needed to be measured with a stopwatch. Everything that didn't fit his father's ideal of what he needed to be learning was cut out. Adrien continued to be home schooled, his interaction with people cut to just the bare minimum. About a week after the funeral he had snuck out of the house and back to the forest, determined to find the tent where Marinette lived, but it wasn't there. He had been so consumed with worry, so convinced that something terrible had happened to her, that he spent the entire day searching the city, but to no avail. When he arrived back to his house at the end of the day, utterly dejected, his father had punished him so severely that Adrien had never tried it again. 

Well, not since the beginning of summer anyway.

The teen let his mind wander towards the bag that sat in his dressing room, and the cat like creature that was napping inside it. Plagg had changed everything, allowing the boy to shed his boring life and take to running the rooftops of Paris whenever he felt like it. The black cat suit gave Adrien the opportunity to be the kind of person he wanted to be, rather than the person his father was shaping him to be. 

A door opened at the end of the corridor he was walking and the sudden noise snapped the boy out of his thoughts. Adrien really had no idea why he was still here. The fashion show had ended an hour ago and the place was pretty deserted, but he couldn't bring himself to go back to his house. 

"Here, catch." He could hear a woman say from the open door he was slowly approaching. Adrien slowed down, so bored he didn't mind listening in on someone's conversation. 

"To the start of your new line!" a different, lighter voice called back. Something about that voice was so familiar. 

Adrien stopped a few feet away from the door, listening for her to speak again. 

"To you not tripping over anything!" the woman's voice teased, managing to get an embarrassed stammer out of the intended target. 

"Th-That was one time!" the girl's voice rang out. Adrien's eyes widened as he heard the sound of glasses clank as the two toasted.

'There's no way…' he thought to himself, heart thumping against his chest as he leaned in a little closer. 

" Are you sure I can't entice you to stay?"

"Collège Françoise Dupont starts next week! I'm not sure how I'm going to balance high school in addition to everything else as it is!"

"Come on! One day a week! It's not like you have friends or anything!!"

The girl laughed, the sound enough to force any thought from Adrien's mind. He pressed his back against the wall and slid down noiselessly. 

'It's her' he thought to himself over and over again. ' I can't believe it!'

He wanted to run into the room and see her, just to ensure that this was really happening, but his legs refused to move.

"I have plenty of friends!" 

"………."

"Fine! I have one friend!" Marinette said, her voice playful.

Adrien's heart soared- 

"She's just really busy at the moment."

And then crashed. 

The boy sighed, careful to make sure it wasn't loud enough to be detected. What had he expected? That she would remember him? After he ditched her….

She probably hated him.

"Any boys?" the woman asked, an edge of excitement at the prospect of possible gossip in her voice.

Marinette was quiet for a few seconds, too quiet in Adrien's opinion. 

"…no"

His stomach sank. For a moment, he wasn't sure why he cared so much. They had only spent half a day together! 

Adrien knew the second the thought had crossed his mind that it wasn't true. She understood what he had been going through, and had seen a side of him that has been gone for the better part of three years. She was his first real friend, someone who liked him not because he was a model or because his father had money, but for who he really was. 

He repaid that friendship with disappointment. 

Slowly Adrien got to his feet. The conversation between the two girls continued but he was no longer paying any attention. 

He had to make this right. 

The idea popped into his head in an instant, and the boy mulled it over for a few seconds.

'Yes' he thought to himself, walking back the way he came with a smile on his face.

'that will work'  
\----  
(1 week later)

Marinette arrived to class a little sweaty, a little out of breath, but on time. 

"Girl what took you so long?" Alya asked as the teen in question took her seat next to her friend. 

"Overslept!" Marinette replied, pulling a notebook and pen from her backpack. Her friend gave her an exasperated look before turning her attention to the front of the classroom where their middle aged teacher was trying to get everyone's attention. 

"Settle down!" the woman said, exasperated but with a small smile as the students quieted around her.

Marinette was still focus on her bag, searching for the textbook she sincerely hoped hadn't been left at home. 

"Ohh!" Alya exclaimed suddenly, nudging her friend, "He's cute!"

Marinette wasn't paying attention, but she grumbled something in response as she opened up another pocket. How many compartments did this bag have again? It had to be in here. 

"We have a new student starting today. I'm sure many of you recognize him from the billboards around town, but nevertheless why don't you introduce yourself?"

Whatever was going on, Marinette figured it had to be good. It seemed like every girl in the class had leaned forward in their seats. With an exasperated sigh, the black haired teen gave up the search for her book and moved her attention to Alya.

"Can we share your book?" she whispered. Her friend didn't reply, but instead kept her eyes glued to the front of the class. 

A confident, respectful voice broke Marinette from her attempts at a conversation. Slowly she turned her head to look at where the voice had come from. Her eyes widened slightly as recognition hit her like lightning. 

"Hello! I'm Adrien Agreste."

He was looking straight at her, those green eyes sparkling in excitement. For the briefest of seconds, Marinette felt a mixture of relief and excitement course through her. She was excited to see him…

And that pissed her off.

The girl narrowed her eyes and looked away sharply, her mind racing with too many thoughts at once. Consensus was impossible. 

"Welcome Adrien!" the teacher said cheerily, "Why don't you take a seat next to Nino." 

Marinette's grip tightened around her pen as the boy moved into the open seat right in front of her. To his credit, he did not try to attempt conversation with her, but Marinette was not sure whether to feel annoyed or pleased and this just ended up making her even angrier. 

"Dude…" she heard Nino whisper to Adrian as he watched the various looks of dreamy interest his new seatmate had managed to bring about on almost every girl in the class. "Nice!"

Marinette rolled her eyes and tried to focus her attention on her friend's textbook, but her mind was still racing. 

'What is he doing here?!' she thought, staring at the back of the offending boy's head. Maybe, if she concentrated hard enough she could read his mind. 

Of all the possible classes for him to have ended up in, it had to be hers. 

'Maybe he doesn't remember me!' she insisted despite the small pang that thought brought with it. 

'No….' she though to herself. 'He had been starring at me the entire time.'

Marinette could still see it clearly, the way his big dumb green eyes starred at her. They weren't as expressive as she remembered them being, but she had clearly seen something in them.

Sadness. 

What he had been sad about she didn't have the slightest idea, but that didn't stop her mind from throwing out every possible scenario.

'Maybe he's sad because he ended up in the same class with me.' She thought, growling internally as the pang hit her heart once again.

'But then why was he smiling at me?'

'Maybe he was smiling at the whole class.'

Marinette hadn't realized that she had been staring at the back of Adrien's head for an uncomfortably long period of time until Alya bumped her shoulder. 

"Do you want me to introduce you?" her friend whispered, pointing a finger at the model while trying to hold in a giggle. 

Marinette scoffed. 

Alya raised an eyebrow at the girl's strange behavior but didn't say anything else. 

After what seemed like an ungodly large amount of time, the teacher began wrapping up the lesson for today.

'God!' Marinette thought suddenly, eyes growing wider as a thought entered her mind. 'What if he wants to talk to me?!'

She could not foresee a situation in which any conversation between the two didn't end with a few choice words on her part. Her brain struggled to come up with something to say that wouldn't get her sent to the principle's office, but nothing would form. Instead, she decided that she would have to leave quickly, maybe hide out in the girl's bathroom. 

'What are the chances he'll be in my next class?' she thought to herself. 

The second the bell rang, Marinette shot out of her seat and threw her stuff into her bag. 

As if he had sensed her plan from the very beginning, Adrien was out of his seat at the same time, his reflexes cat like. 

They starred at each other, both frozen for a few seconds; the students around them were still packing up and had failed to notice the unusual display. 

"Ma-" 

"Adrikins!" a shrill voice cried out in excitement. Within seconds, the small petite form of Chloé Bourgeois collided into the boy. Wrapping her arms tight around him, she was practically buzzing in excitement. 

"You didn't tell me you were starting here!"

Adrien had turned his head, distracted, and that was all the time Marinette needed. Without looking back, she grabbed her backpack and hurried out of the classroom. 

The girl had made it all the way to her locker before Alya caught up to her. 

"All right" Alya said, her tone inquisitive. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Marinette replied, trying her best to keep her tone naïve. Her friend just raised an eyebrow at her. 

"You and Adrien both practically jumped out of your seats the second the bell rang."

"I wanted to check my locker." Marinette replied, thanking her ladybug luck that the textbook she thought she had left at home was instead sitting in her locker. She took it out and showed it to her friend. "I was worried I lost it."

Alya didn't say anything for a few seconds, looking for any sign of deception on her friend's face. Marinette knew to keep her face blank.

"He called you by name. Or at least he tried to before Chloé threw herself at him."

Marinette turned back to her open locker and began exchanging her books. "I didn't hear anything…" 

Things were quite different in her head, where she played the scene over a thousand times. Chloé had implied that she and Adrien were close-- close enough for her to give him a nickname. 

'I guess he found a better alternative' she thought darkly, before closing her locker door a little more forcefully than she had wanted to. Out of the corner of her eyes, Marinette glanced at her friend, who still had an eyebrow raised. Thankfully however, Alya said nothing about her strange behavior. 

"He didn't seem very happy to see her." Alya tried again a minute later as they were on their way to their next class. 

"Who?" 

"Adrien and Chloe!" 

Marinette was quite for a few seconds more before saying, "How much homework do you think we're going to get tonight?"

"Marinette!" 

"What?" 

"I swear you can be such a space case sometimes!" Alya smiled, punching her friend lightly on the arm in a way that reminded Marinette of Nino. 

'I just don't want to spend my day talking about Adrien Agreste!' she thought to herself, choosing instead to giggle at her friend's comment as the two proceeded through the door to their next subject.  
\---  
He was in all of her classes.

All. Of. Them. 

Marinette was so mad that she had almost mowed down a group of girls giggling outside her last class, all hoping to catch a glimpse of the model as he left for lunch. 

"He sat in the same spot! Every class!" she complained loudly to no one in particular as she reached her locker. Tossing her books inside, Marinette remembered how the girl who had been sitting in front of her for the past week had so gladly given up her seat to him, believing that the blond model wanted the spot in order to see the board better. Marinette had needed to tighten her jaw to keep it from falling. 

Then there were his constant attempts to talk to her. She had just barley escaped their last encounter, thanks only to the ever growing number of girls surrounding him. It seemed like word had spread to the entire school and every female student had made it her personal mission to get his autograph or have him pose for a picture.

Marinette closed her locker and reached down to check her cell phone. Alya had sent her a message revealing that the girl had forgotten to pack her lunch, and that she would meet Marinette at their usual spot after she bought one. 

Marinette reached a hand into her backpack to pull out her brown paper lunch bag, but couldn't seem to find it. She could have swore that it had been in there when she had gotten up to leave her last class, but the bag seemed to be missing. With a sigh, Marinette realized that she must have left it back in the classroom. Enough time should have passed by now, meaning that the room was very likely empty. 

She entered the classroom seconds later and to her satisfaction the room was indeed empty. Marinette walked down the rows of desks until she stopped at where she had been sitting just minutes before. To her surprise, her lunch was not there. 

Suddenly there was a noise behind her, as the door to the classroom opened and was shut moments later.

Marinette spun around. 

Adrien was leaning against the door, blocking her escape. One of his hands was clutching her lunch bag. 

"Gotcha!"

Marinette's eyes narrowed. "You stole my lunch?" she asked, voice low. 

"No." he told her, though the twinkle in his eyes suggested otherwise. "I just wanted to talk to you!"

The girl began pacing, hands balling up into fists. "You really want to do this now?" Her voice was so angry so fast that it seemed to catch him off guard. He just watched her silently. 

"What?" she said, voice a little louder in her anger, "Can't think of anything to say? You've only had three years to think of a good excuse!"

He was silent for a few more seconds before speaking. "I tried to go to the park that day, but my father forbade it."

If Marinette had heard what the boy had said, she didn't show it. The anger and sadness that had been building inside her since this morning was rising higher and higher, and the girl felt she couldn't hold it in any longer. 

"Do you have any idea what it took to share those things about me? No one knew how sad and lonely I had been since my parents died. No one but you!"

Adrien took a step forward, placing a hand over his heart. "I went back to the forest as soon as I could sneak out, but you weren't there!" he insisted, his voice rising, his face desperate to make her understand. 

Maranette's mind wouldn't process his words. To her, she was right back at the park, waiting hours for her friend to arrive. But he never showed, and the memory brought tears to her face. 

"I waited in the park all day!" she yelled, not caring who was listening at this point. "But you never came, because I wasn't good enough for you!"

Adrien's voice faltered, hurt flashed across his eyes as the teen moved a little closer. "That's not true!" 

"And now you've come here! Now the whole school can see how stupid I was for thinking that THE Adrien Agreste would want to be friends with an orphan!"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" he shouted, voice faltering but full of desperation as he walked a little closer. "I only came here BECAUSE OF YOU!"

But in moving forward he had created an opening that Marinette took advantage of immediately. Whipping her backpack onto her back, the girl practically flew past him, abandoning her lunch in a mad attempt to escape. 

Adrien spun around immediately, eyes wide. "Marinette please!" 

It was too late. 

She was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Marinette had not returned to class for the second half of the day, and she couldn't bring herself to go back home. Mamma Rose would ask questions. The old woman would understand and would even try to comfort her, of this Marinette had no doubt, but the girl had no wish to explain to anyone how she was feeling right now. 

So instead she had transformed, swung up to the highest building she could find, and stared out at the enormously blue sky. 

"Are you ok?" Tikki spoke, her soft voice puncturing the chaos of Marinette’s mind, and once again the girl was glad that the creature could still speak to her even when transformed. This was how she had learned to use her new abilities, well some of them. 

"No" the girl replied, wiping one lone tear out of her eyes. 

The kwami went silent, allowing Marinette the chance to continue talking whenever the human wanted. 

Adrien's words played over and over again in Marinette's head, despite the girl's strong desire to stop them. 

"He said his father had stopped him from going to the park…" she spoke a few minutes later. Marinette knew that Tikki had likely heard every word of the fight, but said it anyways. "That he had went back to try and find me."

"Do you believe him?" the creature asked.

"I don't know…." She answered, "but I want to."

The thought made her slightly angry again, and Marinette threw her hands up in the air.

"How pathetic is that?!" 

Tikki didn't answer right away, but the human could practically feel how concerned the creature was for her. 

"I just…. want things to go back to the way they were."

What exactly that meant, Marinette had no idea. 

A sudden, piercing scream pulled the girl from her thoughts so quickly, she had to place a hand over her heart. 

"What was that?" she asked, her mind racing.

There was another scream, a boy's this time. 

"It's an akuma!" Tikki cried. The kwami’s voice had lost some of its normally sweet texture in its surprise.

"A what?" 

"A tiny butterfly that turns people evil! Don't you remember?"

Marinette did remember, though a part of her wished she didn't. When the girl had accepted the power of the miraculous she became bound to fight and capture the creatures. The discussion had been months ago, and she had secretly hoped that akumas had become little more than a vague possibility.

Yet here it was, the cost of all the freedom and happiness that had been her summer vacation. 

Karma had come to collect.

There was another scream, and then another. Whatever was going on was happening fast, and spreading.

Marinette’s body responded before she the thought of moving even occurred to her. With a practiced ease, she flung her yo-yo across to the nearest building and jumped. 

Everything seemed different. The way the wind hit her face as she moved from building to building, the way her breathing seemed to steady even as her muscles flexed from the pace she was setting. The girl felt calm…

At least that’s what it appeared like on the outside. 

Inside, where her mind was slowly beginning to make sense of where she was going, and what she was planning to do when she got there, Marinette was a mess. 

“I can’t believe I’m dong this!” She told the kwami, fingers gripping the string a little tighter than necessary as she swung past another building. 

"You'll be fine!" Tikki reassured her, "Just be careful."

Marinette was just beginning to feel a little bit better about her chances when she caught a glance of where she was heading. Students, some of whom she had seen just this morning, were pouring out of the school, all running from the same thing. 

A grey figure walking casually behind them. 

Straining her eyes to see, the girl thought she recognized the messy reddish orange hair of the stranger, but she pushed the contemplation aside as she took her last great swing and landed gracefully a few feet away from the other students. 

“Well…” she mumbled, gripping her yo-yo tight, “here goes nothing.”

If a small part of Marinette thought that her fellow students would be happy at the arrival of a masked vigilante here to help them, it was squashed almost immediately. The students, frightened from having to deal with one unknown stranger already, were not thrilled at the prospect of another. New screams of panic and the sight of students colliding with each other in an attempt to get out of her way was all the reception she was going to receive. 

“That’s right!” she heard a voice mumble before a disk of blackish purple energy shot over her head, “run! Nobody cared to notice me before, but how about now!”

A few more energy disks swirled by her. To her left, a student she didn’t know was hit in the back by one and was gone a moment later, disappeared, as if he was never there.

“Hey!” Marinette cried, her voice stronger than she had thought would be possible in this situation. “Leave them alone!”

It was probably the lamest introduction in super hero history, but it managed to do the trick. Most of the students had managed to get away from the school to a relatively safe distance, giving her the ability to face the attacker directly.

Again, Marinette couldn’t help but think that she recognized him from somewhere, but knew that it had to be impossible. The boy dressed in all black, with light purple skin and a black butterfly mask would have been easy to pick out of a crowd.

The boy narrowed his dark turquoise eyes at her, his face confused. “Who are you?”

“I….” Marinette answered back, placing extra emphasis on the letter. Then her mind went totally blank. She had been too busy thinking of any strategy to defeat this kid, that she had completely forgotten the name she was supposed to go by.

“I am……”

“Ladybug!” Tikki whispered encouragingly. Marinette grinned as if nothing had been the matter. 

“Ladybug!” she answered confidently, taking a step closer. “And I’m afraid you are going to have to stop hitting people with those disks!”

‘God I’m so lame…’ Marinette thought, before pushing it to the back of her mind.  
The boy looked at her in confusion for a few seconds more, before his face transformed into something….softer. 

“Go away.” He told her, his voice sounded almost pleading. “You haven’t done anything to me! I don’t want to make you disappear.”

Well….this was new. 

“What do you mean disappear?” Marinette asked, though she had stopped walking. 

The boy didn’t answer her, but started shaking with anger. 

“I just wanted to get through the day!” he shouted, and an energy disk flew out of his hands and back towards the school. “ I didn’t want to come to this school! All my friends were back home, but my parents MADE me! BE NICE, they said, MAKE SOME FRIENDS!” 

His anger was rising, and with it came the power of the akuma. Black sparks formed around his hands as he threw them up in the air. 

Marinette said nothing, but watched him with caution. It had been just a few hours ago when she too had yelled like this. 

“But no one noticed the strange foreign kid! That was fine though, I could live with that, but when she mocked me, that Chloé Bourgeois girl, I got so angry! Angry enough that when HE offered me this power, I couldn’t say no.”

“Who?” Marinette asked, though she already knew the answer. 

Her words only seemed to snap him out of his thoughts. With a fresh surge of anger he lashed out again, sending two spinning disks straight at her. “I said leave me ALONE!”

Marinette dodged, rolling skillfully away before getting back on her feet. 

“I just want to help you!” she shouted, ducking a fresh set of disks.

“I don’t want your help!” he shouted, firing over and over again, forcing the girl to jump farther back. “I am the Outcast! I don’t need you! So GO AWAY!”

Things were not going well.

Marinette still had no idea how to stop the boy that was now focusing all of his attention on her. Worse still, her reaction time was getting worse, her body untrained to the demands of this job. She had to think of something fast, a distraction, that would allow her the time she needed to figure things out. 

‘Think Marinette! A distraction!.......How about—‘

“Attacking a lady?” a voice called in mock surprise, “What a cat-tastrophe.”

Marinette spun around, her eyes wide. For a second that sounded like….

But it wasn’t. It couldn’t be. 

The newcomer was walking casually towards them, stretching his arms behind his back. He wore a single, black skin tight suit with a golden bell. A black mask covered his eyes and a pair of black cat ears sat atop his head. 

“What is this?” The Outcast asked, anger replacing confusion on his face. “A sale at the costume shop?”

But the cat boy wasn’t paying attention. Instead, he was making his way over to where Marinette was standing, a sly grin on his face. 

“So sorry I’m late, my lady.” He said, taking her hand and kissing it. “Cat Noir to your rescue.”

Marinette didn’t move, her eyes scrunched slightly and her mouth agape. ‘What the….?’

She had no more time to think, for the Outcast had managed to recover from the interruption first. Fresh waves of darkness shot at them, and the girl pulled away to dodge.

“Fear not!” Cat Noir smiled, his reflexes unbelievably fast as he moved out of the way of the oncoming projectiles. “I shall save you from this villain!”

Then he rushed forward, moving with such speed and grace….

At least for the first few steps. 

The Outcast flung a new disk lower to the ground this time, a small grin on his face. Cat Noir made to jump, as if the disk would sail right under his feet. Instead, the black energy sphere hit the ground right under the masked boy and exploded. The force of the impact sent the cat boy sailing past Marinette. He finally crashed against the ground about ten feet past where she was standing. 

“O-kay!” he said, picking himself off the ground and rubbing his shoulder. “Maybe not.”

She moved back towards him, so their conversation wouldn’t be overheard. 

“Just keep him occupied.” She whispered. “I’ll take care of the rest.”

“A distraction!” he whispered back, that wide grin on his face, “purr-fect”

Marinette actually flinched at the pun, her thoughts momentarily brought back to her anger from this morning. 

‘What if he’s hurt?’ A voice asked from the back of her mind. ‘What if Alya’s hurt?’ She hadn’t seen either of them in the mess of students that were fleeing from the school. It was like a hand had suddenly clenched her heart tightly and she could feel the panic start to take over. 

‘Focus!’ she told herself, eyes narrowing on her target as Cat Noir took off again. Her body wasn’t quite as fast or as nimble as his, but the two of them working together was enough to throw the Outsider off guard. 

“Find the item the akuma is hiding in!” Tikki whispered, her voice perfectly audible in her mind despite the noise from the battle. 

Marinette looked at the purple skinned boy, searching him. His outfit was pretty standard and she couldn’t really see what he could be wearing that would cause…..

“Got it!” she whispered silently, eyes locking on the black item wrapped around the villain’s wrist. It seemed like….a friendship bracelet? 

“It’s in the band on his wrist!” she shouted to Cat Noir. The boy was fairly busy at the minute, flipping past two disks at once, but he shouted his agreement.

They were getting closer, but slowly. The Outcast seemed to recognize the tactic almost as soon as the two had rushed him, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. He split his attacks in half, focusing on one or the other. The one who wasn’t busy avoiding black energy advanced forward. 

“Get back!” he yelled, slowing moving backwards towards the school. If he made it inside, it was going to be a lot more difficult to get the bracelet. 

Cat Noir seemed to share the same thought she did, for he redoubled his efforts. 

‘Almost there!’ Marinette thought, willing herself to go faster but her body was starting to protest the nonstop physical exertion. She needed to train more, built up this resistance, or next time there might be trouble. 

The Outcast turned his attention to the cat boy and Marinette saw her opportunity. Gathering as much speed as possible, she flung her yo-yo directly at his wrist. The string wrapped around him and she tugged, throwing him off balance. 

The second he hit the ground she was there, arms wrapping around his arm and pulling at the band. With relative ease, she managed to get it off his arm. 

“No!” the boy shouted, eyes wide with panic. 

But it was too late, Marinette had torn the band in half. Out of the remnants flew a black butterfly with translucent purple spots on its wings. 

“Catch it!” Tikki whispered, “With your yo-yo!”

The girl nodded, hitting a button that detached the device from the villain’s arm and sent it rolling back to her. With a finger, she revealed the pure white chamber which lay inside. 

With a whirl, Marinette sent the end of her yo-yo flying at the akuma. Seconds later, it was all over. 

“Bye bye little butterfly!” Marinette said, exhausted, as the pure white butterfly flew away. 

There seemed to be a weird sensation in her stomach. A churning, powerful sensation that spread slowly through her entire body. Her fingertips and toes tingled and there was a smile on her face. 

She felt rejuvenated, alive. 

It was like her body seemed to know what to do before her brain did. Throwing her yo-yo up in the air again, she yelled “Miraculous Ladybug!”

Whatever had been inside her came pouring out with the utterance of those words. It moved slowly from her feet to her stomach, through her chest and to her outstretched hands. Blinding light emitted from her yo-yo as the scene around her changed dramatically. 

A number of students appeared out of no where, each checking to make sure they were ok. Other students had emerged from their hiding place and were watching Marinette with looks of amazement. 

The girl didn’t register their attention at all. 

As the light died down and everything returned to normal, Marinette felt both mentally and physically exhausted. She noticed that where the Outcast had been laying now sat a boy with a similar messy hair style, but his eyes were a lighter shade of turquoise. He was wearing a red t-shirt with a gray dress jacket and purple jeans. He was definitely a new student, and Marinette remembered that he had been introduced to the class when term started, but she couldn’t remember his name. 

It didn’t matter now. She was so tired that it felt like she might collapse, and that was the last thing she needed.

Without taking another minute to absorb what was happening around her, Marinette whirled her yo-yo around the highest point she could find and pushed off the ground, soaring far away from everyone. 

“Hey!” someone yelled. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that the cat boy was chasing after her, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. It seemed he wasn’t as tired as she was. 

Marinette knew she couldn’t let the boy follow her home. So, despite the overwhelming desire to collapse onto her bed and sleep for an eternity, she landed on one of the rooftops and waited for him to catch up. 

“That was totally cool!” he grinned, landing next to her a minute later. 

Marinette said nothing. All the previous thoughts that she had managed to hide during the battle slowly poured back in. 

Why did he have to look so much like…….

But Marinette knew that he couldn’t be Adrien, there was no way. 

Was there?

She prepared herself for the rush of anger that usually accompanied any thoughts she had about her one-time friend, but surprisingly it didn’t come. She was too tired, too exhausted to feel anything. 

“Thanks.” She mumbled, turning to leave again. 

A clawed hand reached out and grabbed her arm. “Wait! Please!”

Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. 

‘Marinette please!’ Her mind replayed part of the fight for what seemed like the hundredth time. 

The boy must have seen the look on her face, for he let go of her arm immediately. 

“Look.” Marinette said with a sigh, “I’m just really tired right now. I’m sorry.”

The boy recovered almost instantly. “Of course! My lady needs her beauty sleep. But if you could permit me just a mewment of your time, perhaps tomorrow at midnight? Right here?”

Marinette nodded, her body still turned away from him. ‘Why did he have to use puns?’

“Well then!” he said, lifting her hand once more to kiss. “I shall see you tomorrow!”

With nothing more than another nod, she was off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I figured since I already had this chapter done and it didn't need much work I would go ahead and post it! I still haven't established a fairly constant writing routine basically because school keeps me incredibly busy. But I absolutely love this story and really enjoy writing it! Also thanks for all the fantastic comments. I'm really surprised by the feedback! 
> 
> Until next time and Happy Halloween!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!  
> First of all thanks for reading! It's been a while since I've last posted something like this, and this is the first time I'm posting to this site!! I've been working on this story for a couple of months now, and I didn't want to post the first chapter until I had a couple more done. Also, I'm not entirely sure how this is going to be recieved, so I don't want to keep working on something that people may end up hating. I'm going to change some stuff, particularly later on, but hopefully you'll like it!  
> That being said, I'm not entirely sure what my posting schedule will be like right now since I'm about to begin a summer job out of state. Also, while I love the show, I haven't been able to see any episodes past the first seven or eight, so it is unlikely that this story will involve or mention those plot lines. 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and if you liked it please leave me a comment!


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